The household of ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Akka – described by American pilgrim Mary Lucas

Monday afternoon, Ruha and Munavar Khanum [two of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s daughters) came to my room and told me the ladies of the household would call upon me after sunset. So the Greatest Holy Leaf (the Master’s sister) and the Holy Mother (the Master’s wife), Ruha and Munavar Khanum, came to my room. I gave them presents sent from America, and delivered to Ruha Khanum many supplications for the Master, from Americans.

Monday night I spent with the ladies in the large sitting room. They asked me to sing for them, and I sang many things. They requested the hymn, “Nearer, My God, to Thee.” While I was in Egypt I learned from one of the Persian believers a Tablet in Arabic, and also learned to chant it. The members of the household were much pleased when I chanted it for them. This was Monday night, Jan. 30, 1905, my second and last night, I thought, in this sacred and spiritual atmosphere — as the Master had said I could come for two nights.

During my stay the Master was never present in the evening after dinner.

The household consists of the Master, the Greatest Holy Leaf, the Holy Mother, two married daughters, their husbands and children, Ruha and Munavar u(the Master’s two youngest daughters), besides some little children who are orphans and have no one to take care of them, and women who are widows, their husbands having suffered martyrdom in the Path of God. These serve in some capacity in the household, and the sentiment of love and equality in every member of this home is a living example for the world. Everything is done in the spirit of love. These women whose husbands have been martyred who are now living under the Master’s roof, are very happy, as their beaming faces testify, for all their sorrow is forgotten in the Presence of this Great One. Through Him they are learning the reality of life. 

- Mary L. Lucas  (‘A Brief Account of My Visit to Acca’, published by Chicago Baha'i Publishing Society in 1905)

Keith Ransom-Kehler – First Woman Hand of the Cause, First American Baha’i Martyr

Keith Ransom-Kehler became a Bahá’í in May 1921, but her first documented encounter with the Faith occurred a decade earlier, when she met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London on 13 September 1911. She mentioned the meeting in passing in her diary twenty years later, but no account of the occasion has been discovered. She may have learned of the Bahá’í Faith when she lived in Paris, where the new religion gained attention in expatriate and artistic circles around the turn of the century. May Maxwell, the focal figure in the early Bahá’í community in Paris, was a friend of Ransom-Kehler’s in the 1920s and 1930s, but an earlier connection between the two women has not been established.

Shortly after becoming a Bahá’í, Keith gained recognition as a Bahá’í speaker, writer, and administrator. In 1924–25 she served as secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Chicago … until ill health led her to leave for Louisiana. In July 1925 she chaired a session of the Bahá’í Congress held in conjunction with the national Bahá’í convention .. held at Green Acre, the Bahá’í school and conference center in Eliot, Maine; the topic of the evening was "The Economic Foundation of World Brotherhood." She traveled and lectured on a variety of Bahá’í topics, speaking at a series of meetings in Montreal in mid-1925 and, later that year, addressing meetings of the National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools held in Durham, North Carolina. In New York, between 1926 and 1929, her speaking commitments frequently took her to Harlem, where she assisted with a regular interracial "fireside," as presentations on the Bahá’í Faith involving questions and discussion are called.

Keith Ransom-Kehler established a reputation as one of the most outstanding Bahá’í speakers of the era. Her talks were described by a contemporary as "well organized, strongly presented, intellectually based." Her writing was equally well received. She contributed articles to Bahá’í periodicals (among which were forty-six for The Bahá’í Magazine: Star of the West, including three on Bahá’í administration written at Shoghi Effendi’s request).

October 1848: Mulla Husayn and his companions enter the Shrine of Shaykh Tabarsi

Mulla Husayn and his companions entered the Shrine of Shaykh Tabarsi and were attacked that night by a body of horsemen from Qadi-Kula.

- Moojan Momen  (The Baha’i World, vol. 18)

There are fourteen Tablets of the Divine Plan

The Tablets of the Divine Plan are fourteen in number and were revealed at two separate times by 'Abdu'l-Baha: eight of them in 1916, and six in 1917.

- Hand of the Cause Balyuzi  (‘Abdu'l-Baha - The Centre of the Covenant’)

Portrait of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá taken in Paris, France, October 1911

In 1844 the Báb “proclaimed God’s hidden Cause and unveiled its well-guarded Pillar”

God beareth Me witness, I was not a man of learning, for I was trained as a merchant. In the year sixty [1] God graciously infused my soul with the conclusive evidences and weighty knowledge which characterize Him Who is the Testimony of God—may peace be upon Him—until finally in that year I proclaimed God’s hidden Cause and unveiled its well-guarded Pillar, in such wise that no one could refute it. “That he who should perish might perish with a clear proof before him and he who should live might live by clear proof.” [2]

- The Báb  (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)

[1] 1260 A.H. (1844 A.D.)            

[2] Qur’án 8:44

“the divine religions of the holy Manifestations of God are in reality one”

The ocean is one body of water but different parts of it have particular designation, Atlantic, Pacific, Mediterranean, Antarctic, etc. If we consider the names, there is differentiation, but the water, the ocean itself is one reality.

Likewise the divine religions of the holy Manifestations of God are in reality one though in name and nomenclature they differ. Man must be a lover of the light no matter from what day-spring it may appear. He must be a lover of the rose no matter in what soil it may be growing. He must be a seeker of the truth no matter from what source it come. 

- ‘Abdu'l-Baha  (‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912’)

'Abdu'l-Baha - photograph taken during summer of 1919 by an English officer in Haifa

A suggested quote to memorize: - Mentioning Baha’u’llah’s name when teaching

By the righteousness of God! Whoso openeth his lips in this Day and maketh mention of the name of his Lord, the hosts of Divine inspiration shall descend upon him from the heaven of My name, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. On him shall also descend the Concourse on high, each bearing aloft a chalice of pure light. 

- Baha'u'llah  (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah’; included in Ruhi Book 6)

Teaching the Cause: - step to take before delivering a speech

O thou maid-servant of God! Whenever thou art intending to deliver a speech, turn thy face toward the Kingdom of Abha and, with a heart detached, begin to talk. The breaths of the Holy Spirit will assist thee. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá  (‘Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Baha, vol. 2’)

1910 - Baha'is in Baku Russia

Transformation of the steel essence of man to light

Man is even as steel, the essence of which is hidden: through admonition and explanation, good counsel and education, that essence will be brought to light. If, however, he be allowed to remain in his original condition, the corrosion of lusts and appetites will effectively destroy him. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘The Compilation of Compilations’, vol. I, Baha’i Education)

1819 - The Birth of the Báb

Siyyid 'Ali-Muhammad, known to history as the Báb, was the son of Siyyid Muhammad-Rida, a mercer of Shiraz, Persia. He was born on October 20th 1819 (1st of Muharram, 1235 A.H.). Through both His father and His mother He was descended from Imam Husayn, the third Imam. Thus He stood in direct line of descent from the Prophet Muhammad.

(Adapted from ‘The Bab, Herald of the Day of Days’, by Balyuzi)

“Servitude to God lieth in servitude to the friends”

Servitude to God lieth in servitude to the friends. One must be the essence of humility and the embodiment of meekness. One must become evanescence itself and be healed of every disease of the self, in order to become worthy of thraldom to the Threshold of the Almighty. 

- ‘Abdu’l-Baha  (From a Table; compilation: ‘Give Me Thy Grace to Serve Thy Loved Ones’, prepared by the prepared by the International Teaching Centre for the Continental Counsellors and their Auxiliaries, May 2018, online Baha’i Reference Library of the World Center)

Happiness for human beings

…happiness for human beings means being raised out of the blind physical world into the conscious life of the spirit, and this can only be done by the Prophet of God. 

- Marzieh Gail  (Introduction to 1953 edition of Baha’u’llah’s ‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf)

Calligraphic exercise of the Báb written before He was ten years old

Christ's remarks concerning His passing

To them that are endowed with understanding, it is clear and manifest that when the fire of the love of Jesus consumed the veils of Jewish limitations, and His authority was made apparent and partially enforced, He the Revealer of the unseen Beauty, addressing one day His disciples, referred unto His passing, and, kindling in their hearts the fire of bereavement, said unto them: “I go away and come again unto you.” And in another place He said: “I go and another will come Who will tell you all that I have not told you, and will fulfil all that I have said.” Both these sayings have but one meaning, were you to ponder upon the Manifestations of the Unity of God with divine insight.  

- Baha’u’llah  ('The Book of Certitude')

Mulla Husayn: “the one but for whom ‘God would not have been established upon the seat of His mercy, nor ascended the throne of eternal glory’”

Mulla Husayn, the first Letter of the Living, surnamed the Babu'l-Báb (the Gate of the Gate); designated as the "Primal Mirror;" on whom eulogies, prayers and visiting Tablets of a number equivalent to thrice the volume of the Qur'án had been lavished by the pen of the Bab; referred to in these eulogies as "beloved of My Heart;" the dust of whose grave, that same Pen had declared, was so potent as to cheer the sorrowful and heal the sick; whom "the creatures, raised in the beginning and in the end" of the Bábí Dispensation, envy, and will continue to envy till the "Day of Judgment;" whom the Kitáb-i-Íqán acclaimed as the one but for whom "God would not have been established upon the seat of His mercy, nor ascended the throne of eternal glory;" to whom Siyyid Kazim had paid such tribute that his disciples suspected that the recipient of such praise might well be the promised One Himself -- such a one had likewise, in the prime of his manhood, died a martyr's death at Tabarsi.

- Shoghi Effendi  (‘God Passes By’)

1912: Abdu'l-Baha walking near His residence in New York

“to purge… [one’s life] of the influences of laxity and promiscuity characterizing modern society”

There is no need to dwell at length on the implications of spotless chastity and the   integrity of the sacred marital bond set forth in our teachings, as these have been   clearly outlined and amply elaborated in our scriptures and in the writings of our   beloved Guardian. Such matters as the age of marriage or the manner of meeting   economic commitments are left to the individual to decide for himself. The friends, however, should not hesitate to seek the advice of their local Spiritual Assemblies   in all such matters if they feel the need. 

As the suffering and unrest afflicting humanity increase, and moral restraints are one by one abolished, the Baha'is must learn to obtain, through study and prayer, a clearer vision of their mission, earnestly seek to purge their lives of the influences of laxity and promiscuity characterizing modern society, and insure that the fair name and integrity of the Faith they serve and love so dearly remain unstained and unsullied.

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated May 22, 1966 to two believers; compilation: ‘Lights of Guidance’)

1910: Believers in Philadelphia, PA, USA

Love is the “vital bond inherent…in the realities of things”

Love is the cause of God's revelation unto man, the vital bond inherent, in accordance with the divine creation, in the realities of things. 

- 'Abdu'l-Baha  ('Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha')

Story for children: A very unique Child is born

One morning as the sun rose over Tihran, a Child was born. He was born into a family that was powerful in the government of Persia, and was also rich. The house where he was born looked more like a palace than a house, with its tall columned walkways and arched windows looking out over the walled garden.

This child was very special, right from the start. He never cried or fussed in the way that little babies ordinarily do, which surprised his mother very much. People used to shake their heads and say, 'Such a child will not live', because they felt he was too good for this world. His name was Mirza Husayn ‘Ali, but he will always be known as Baha’u’llah.

Baha’u’llah never went to school at all, though of course he was taught the things that noble boys usually learnt, like horse riding, sword fighting and to shoot a gun. He would have read poetry and the Qur’an, and also have learnt to write, but that was all. The odd thing was that even though he had not been taught things like history and philosophy, he knew it all anyway. Grown-ups were often very surprised to find that he knew more than they did!

Ruhiyyih Khanum with her little namesake -- Cameroon, 1972

The Dawn-Breakers is a classic among epic narratives in the English tongue

If the critic and sceptic should be tempted to dismiss the literature of the Bahá'í Faith as typical of the better class of religious books designed for the initiate only, he could not for a moment so brush aside a volume of the quality of Nabil's Narrative , which deserves to be counted as a classic among epic narratives in the English tongue. Although ostensibly a translation from the original Persian Shoghi Effendi may be said to have re-created it in English, his translation being comparable to Fitzgerald's rendering of Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyat which gave to the world a poem in a foreign language that in many ways far exceeded the merits of the original.

The best and most descriptive comments on this masterpiece of the Guardian are to be found in the words of prominent non-Bahá'ís. The playwright Gordon Bottemley wrote: "...living with it has been one of the salient experiences of a lifetime; but beyond that it was a moving experience both in itself and through the psychological light it throws on the New Testament narrative."

The well-known scholar and humanitarian, Dr. Alfred W. Martin of the Ethical Culture Society, in his letter of thanks to Shoghi Effendi for sending him Nabil's Narrative wrote: "Your magnificent and monumental work...will be a classic and a standard for all time to come. I marvel beyond measure at your ability to prepare such a work for the press over and above all the activities which your regular professional position devolves upon you."

One of his old professors, Bayard Dodge of the American University of Beirut, after receiving the gift of Nabil's Narrative from the Guardian wrote to him: "...The last book - The Dawn-Breakers - is an especially valuable contribution. I congratulate you heartily for publishing it. You must have worked very hard to produce such a splendid translation, with such very interesting notes and photographs." 

- Hand of the Cause Ruhiyyih Khanum  (‘The Priceless Pearl’)

The “spirit” which is ““vibrating in the innermost realities of all created things”

To what agency, if not to the irresistible diffusion of that world-shaking, world-energizing, world-redeeming spirit, which the Báb has affirmed is “vibrating in the innermost realities of all created things” can the origins of this portentous crisis, incomprehensible to man, and admittedly unprecedented in the annals of the human race, be attributed? 

- Shoghi Effendi  (Preface to ‘God Passes By’)

Prayer for individual - Praise & gratitude

O my Lord! I have drawn nigh unto Thee, in the depths of this darksome night, confiding in Thee with the tongue of my heart, trembling with joy at the sweet scents that blow from Thy realm, the All-Glorious, calling unto Thee, saying:

O my Lord, no words do I find to glorify Thee; no way do I see for the bird of my mind to soar upward to Thy Kingdom of Holiness; for Thou, in Thy very essence, art sanctified above those tributes, and in Thy very being art beyond the reach of those praises which are offered Thee by the people that Thou hast created. In the sanctity of Thine own being hast Thou ever been exalted above the understanding of the learned among the Company on high, and forever wilt Thou remain enwrapped within the holiness of Thine own reality, unreached by the knowledge of those dwellers in Thine exalted Kingdom who glorify Thy Name.

O God, my God! How can I glorify or describe Thee inaccessible as Thou art; immeasurably high and sanctified art Thou above every description and praise.

O God, my God! Have mercy then upon my helpless state, my poverty, my misery, my abasement! Give me to drink from the generous cup of Thy grace and forgiveness, stir me with the sweet scents of Thy love, gladden my bosom with the light of Thy knowledge, purify my soul with the mysteries of Thy oneness, raise me to life with the gentle breeze that cometh from the gardens of Thy mercy—till I sever myself from all else but Thee, and lay hold of the hem of Thy garment of grandeur, and consign to oblivion all that is not Thee, and be companioned by the sweet breathings that waft during these Thy days, and attain unto faithfulness at Thy Threshold of Holiness, and arise to serve Thy Cause, and to be humble before Thy loved ones, and, in the presence of Thy favoured ones, to be nothingness itself.

Verily art Thou the Helper, the Sustainer, the Exalted, the Most Generous.

- 'Abdu'l-Baha  ('Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha')

Love is the First Principle of Divine Teaching – A talk by ‘Abdu’l-Baha

12 April 1912

Studio of Miss Phillips

39 West Sixty-seventh Street, New York

(Notes by John G. Grundy)

I give you greeting in love and unity. The affairs of this world are to be accounted as nothing compared to the joy and heavenly happiness of meeting the friends of God. It is to experience this great joy and blessing that I have come here although weary from my long voyage upon the sea. Tonight I am in the greatest happiness, looking upon this concourse of God. Your meeting here is surely an evidence that you are upholding the Cause of God, that you are aiding and assisting in establishing the Kingdom of God. Therefore, the culmination of my happiness is to look upon your faces and realize that you have been brought together by the power of the Blessed Perfection, Bahá'u'lláh. In this meeting you are upholding His standard and assisting His Cause. Therefore, I behold in you the making of a goodly tree upon which divine fruits will appear to give sustenance to the world of humanity.

With hearts set aglow by the fire of the love of God and spirits refreshed by the food of the heavenly spirit you must go forth as the disciples nineteen hundred years ago, quickening the hearts of men by the call of glad tidings, the light of God in your faces, severed from everything save God. Therefore, order your lives in accordance with the first principle of the divine teaching, which is love. Service to humanity is service to God. Let the love and light of the Kingdom radiate through you until all who look upon you shall be illumined by its reflection. Be as stars, brilliant and sparkling in the loftiness of their heavenly station. Do you appreciate the Day in which you live?

Book: Mahmud’s Diary – The Diary of Mirza Mahmud-i-Zarqani Chronicling ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Journey to America, Translated by Mohi Sobhani

In the spring of 1912 Abdu'l-Baha set off from Alexandria on His historic journey to America. Among his small entourage was Mirza Mahmud- i-Zarqani, who became, in the words of Shoghi Effendii, “the chronicler of His travels”.

Mirza Mahmud went everywhere with ‘Abdu’l-Baha making extensive notes not only of the Master's many public talks and conversations with individuals but also of the new sights and experiences they found in America as well as the daily routines of eating, writing letters and travelling. Mahmud remarks on the novelty of the New York skyscrapers, electric lights and American foods and customs for Abdu'l Baha’s party as well as the picturesque spectacle provided to the Americans by His entourage in their ‘abas and Persian hats.

The result was a unique diary “regarded as a reliable account of Abdu'l-Baha's travels in the West and an authentic record of His utterances, whether in the form of formal talks, table talks or random oral statements. Mirza Mahmud was a careful and faithful chronicler and engaged in assembling and publishing his work with the permission of the beloved Master . . “ (The Universal House of Justice).

1910: Some Baha'is in Bandar Jaz, Persia

“laws governing our spiritual lives”

Just as there are laws governing our physical lives, requiring that we must supply our bodies with certain foods, maintain them within a certain range of temperatures, and so forth, if we wish to avoid physical disabilities, so also there are laws governing our spiritual lives. These laws are revealed to mankind in each age by the Manifestation of God, and obedience to them is of vital importance if each human being, and mankind in general, is to develop properly and harmoniously. Moreover, these various aspects are interdependent. If an individual violates the spiritual laws for his own development he will cause injury not only to himself but to the society in which he lives. Similarly, the condition of society has a direct effect on the individuals who must live within it. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter dated 6 February 1973 written by the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1968-1973’; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, A Chase and Holy Life)